The Avery Lady Vikings basketball defeated the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats 85-57 last Friday evening in Hendersonville.Avery found little trouble scoring points, using a 22-6 scoring run to take the early advantage. The Lady Vikings found great success inside, as the trio of Katie Ellis, Sara Wiseman, and Katelynn Eudy dominated the shorter Hendersonville squad.
Avery led 25-13 after one quarter and 40-26 at halftime. Wiseman carried the Viking offense in the half with 11 points and nine rebounds. Eudy scored ten for the half.
As the second half Avery dictated tempo and seemingly scored at will from in the paint. Katie Ellis scored only four points in the first half, but exploded for 17 points in the final two quarters for 21 points in all. Ellis also pulled in an astounding 20 rebounds off the glass and added four assists and a pair of steals.
Wiseman flirted with a triple double in the game, scoring 15 points with 11 rebounds and blocking 7 shots, all despite fouling out with over four minutes left in the game.
Despite its obvious disadvantages on the floor, Hendersonville trailed by only 16 at 60-44 after three periods. Lydia Stoney scored 17 points for the Lady Bearcats, with 16 from teammate Brooks Walz and eight points and ten rebounds from Sofia Lilly.
Avery finished the game with gusto as 25 additional points while holding the Bearcats to only a 13-point total. Lauren Avery scored four of her eight total points for the Vikings in the fourth quarter, and every Lady Viking in uniform scored points in the game.
“They’re a good basketball team,” Hendersonville coach Mike Norman said. “But we made a lot of progress. Up there we lost by 40 and didn’t score but 36 points, and tonight we played with a little more confidence.”
Eudy added 14 points and four blocks for Avery, with nine points, six steals, and four assists from Allison Vance. Samantha Shook added nine points, with eight points and seven rebounds from Lauren Avery, and five points and four rebounds from Sara Singleton.
Despite the improvement from the Lady Bearcats, seven Avery players had four or greater rebounds as they dominated the shorter and overmatched Hendersonville club. Avery improves to 12-7 overall, with a 6-1 conference record.
After their loss on Thursday night to the Cloudland Highlanders, the Vikings varsity men’s team looked to pull off an upset in Hendersonville over the Bearcats, a team who had lost its last two conference games but who soundly defeated Avery in their prior meeting in Newland.Avery fell behind early to Hendersonville and was had no answer for its speed, athleticism, and full court pressing defense as the Bearcats prevailed 78-49.
Hendersonville utilized its height advantage early and often during Friday's contest. Tory Sitton tallied nine points for the Bearcats with six from teammate Desmond Whiteside to build a 23-13 lead after one period.
“I want our defense to spark our offense. It gives us our layups and our easy transition shots and really sets our pace,” Hendersonville head coach Rob Strong said after his team's win.
Avery played hard to keep up with the speedy Hendersonville club. Colton Blackburn was the most effective rebounder for the Big Red, as the sophomore collected ten rebounds for the game and scored ten of his 12 total points through the first two quarters. Kody Hughes chipped in with six first-half points for the Big Red, with five points from Dustin Clarke.
The Bearcats received a balanced scoring effort through two quarters, as Sitton scored 14 first-half points. A trio of Hendersonville teammates registered eight points each as the Bearcats led the Vikings 47-28 at halftime.
Avery could not find an answer all evening for Sitton, as he sparked a 10-3 Bearcat scoring run to open the second half. Hendersonville took advantage of 28 Avery turnovers, and Sitton in particular hurt the Big Red with ten points in the third quarter as part of a 24-point, ten rebound overall performance.
Dustin Clarke tallied three baskets in the stanza, but Hendersonville held a commanding 65-42 lead after three quarters and went on to the victory. Clarke led Avery with 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Kody Hughes scored eight points, with five points apiece from Joey Potter and Chase Watson.
Avery's boys fall to 3-15 overall and 1-6 in Western Highlands Conference play. The Big Red will look to improve their records this week against a trio of conference foes. The Vikings host Mitchell and Polk County in games early in the week, then travel this Friday to Madison for a Western Highlands contest against the Patriots.
